What it means to be just friends (NaLu fanfic)
by soulkeeperpol
Summary: Natsu Dragneel and Lucy Heartfilia of the guild Fairy Tail are the best of friends and they are perfectly content with being just that. However, what happens if one of them gets into a romantic relationship? Who is the name that Lucy calls in her time of need? Whose shoulder does she cry on in her time of sorrow? What does it really mean to be just friends? Warning: Angst
1. Her window is now completely shut

Not that it was much of a hindrance. He could have easily pushed it open regardless of whether it was locked or not. It wasn't what he would call an obstacle, and certainly not the reason why he was standing outside of her apartment instead of inside.

But she had locked her window and this perplexed Natsu.

Natsu had just come back from a two month mission. Although it was a solo mission, he did bring Happy with him. And now the exceed was looking at Natsu with eyes filled with curiosity.

"Did you two have a fight I didn't know about?" Happy asked.

"Did we?" Natsu scratched his head as he thought about it with a frown. "The last time we talked, I remember her saying that she had to do an all girls mission with Erza and Mira. It was something about disguising themselves as teen idols to infiltrate a dark guild. So I told her I would do a solo mission instead."

Happy's look turned suspicious. "Did you somehow insult her looks and her talents instead of giving her your blessings."

Natsu's eyes widened innocently. "I only advised her to wear skimpy clothing to compensate for her lack of abilities. I was being a good friend."

Happy sighed. "Dumb Natsu."

"Come-on, I've said worse." Natsu crossed his arms in front of his chest as he stared accusingly at the locked window.

"That's true." said Happy contemplatively. "And although she kicks and punches you all the time for entering without her consent, she never locked you out before." Then he shrugged, "Maybe we are overthinking things, guess we have no choice but to break it open."

"As you say!" Natsu didn't even hesitate as he balled one hand into a fist, jumped up, and punched the window open.

"Or we could knock at the door..." Happy's second suggestion came too late as a girl's scream was heard inside Lucy's apartment.

"What the hell Natsu!" Lucy yelled before she even opened the door to her bedroom where the destroyed window was.

"Hey Lucy I'm back." Natsu grinned while sitting cross-legged on Lucy's bed.

"Hiya Lucy." Happy greeted as he entered through the window and landed on Lucy's bed beside Natsu. He was prepared to be the audience of Natsu's punishment as was the norm, so he was surprised when Lucy closed her eyes and breathed in deeply to calm herself instead.

When Lucy opened her eyes a smile was plastered on her face. "Welcome back Natsu and Happy. Next time, please knock on the door instead."

Natsu too was surprised, but he had the habit of simply accepting his blessings instead of wondering about his good fortune. "It was your fault, cause the window was locked."

Although Lucy was smiling, it was obviously forced and there was a glint of anger in her eyes. "Then maybe you could have taken the hint instead of breaking it."

"Huh?" Natsu looked confused. "What hint?"

"Lucy, is everything okay?" A guy's voice came from Lucy's living room which seemed to make Lucy look at Natsu uncomfortably.

"Please Natsu, get off my bed this instant." Lucy hissed as she pulled at his arm.

Natsu stubbornly tried not to budge. "Why? I'm tired. I just came home from a tiresome mission, I'm going to sleep." He laid on the bed instead.

"Lucy?" The male voice called out again.

"Get off this instant!" In a feat of strength that Lucy rarely possessed, she pulled Natsu off the bed in one full sweep. But the force she exerted made her loose her balance and she toppled into the floor with Natsu landing on her lower half.

The door to her room opened and Lucy was mortified as the new comer's eyes widened in surprise at what he was seeing. A young man with longish red hair tied into a queue had entered the room.

Lucy quickly recovered and pushed Natsu off her as she got up on her feet. "Ark!" She exclaimed. "Ugh, I'm so terribly clumsy sometimes." She began smoothing her hair and her clothes to make herself look as presentable as she could. "Natsu just came back and... well... as I was greeting him... we both stumbled... and... and we fell on the floor." She ended on a lame note.

Ark blinked at her explanation. "Natsu?" It seemed that was the only word he was able to latch on.

Natsu sat up while rubbing his hurt arm. Unlike Lucy, he didn't get up on his feet and remained sitting on the floor. He looked up at Ark with suspicion. "Lucy, I think you have an intruder."

Lucy used her fist to punch the top of Natsu's head. "You are the intruder here." Then she smiled at Ark. "Sorry he does this all the time, please ignore him."

It seemed Ark's disbelief couldn't grow more than it did at the moment. "All the time?"

Lucy just realized what he might have thought she meant and she blushed crimson. "No, I mean... this guy just rudely enters my apartment all the time..." That still didn't sound right.

"He's just..." Then she seemed to give up on an explanation and sighed. "Anyway, Ark this is Natsu. And the cat over there is Happy." Lucy gestured at Happy who looked really intrigued with this new set of circumstances. "Natsu, Happy..." Lucy moved towards Ark and shyly linked her arm with his. "This is my boyfriend, Ark."

Natsu looked dumbfounded before he burst out laughing. "Lucy, are you in one of your delusions again? You must be getting desperate."

Ark looked at the laughing boy on the floor and frowned. "I am her boyfriend."

Natsu stopped laughing. He looked Ark directly in the eye with a serious expression. "You shouldn't really feed into her delusions like that."

"It is no delusion." Ark stated calmly back at him.

Happy flew over to Natsu's side and looked both Lucy and Ark over. "Natsu, I think he is telling the truth."

The room was silent for a few moment. Then Natsu got to his feet and walked towards Lucy. Lucy looked at him pleadingly, willing him not to do anything to embarrass her further.

As Natsu stood close to the couple, Ark seemed to stand defensively beside Lucy. He was a few inches taller than Natsu, but even without any menace emanating from the pink haired boy he still sensed a power greater than anything he could fend off.

Then Natsu's face broke into a grin. "Then I am happy for you Lucy." He stood closer between the couple and placed an arm each on both their shoulders. He grinned genuinely at Ark.

"Welcome to the family."


	2. He no longer was allowd acces to her bed

And Natsu was certainly not pleased about that.

"So I am going to loose my most comfortable sleeping accommodations just because you have a boyfriend now?" Natsu whined. "That doesn't seem fair."

"It was never yours in the first place." Lucy glared at him. But Natsu looked really dejected and so she searched for a solution. "Why don't I buy you a bed like mine, huh Natsu. We will place it in your house and you can sleep there."

"Really Lucy?" Happy chimed into the conversation with surprise in his voice. He knew how frugal Lucy was and she didn't just offer to buy stuff, especially something as expensive as a bed.

"Sure." Lucy was actually getting more enthusiastic about the idea. "Or if you guys really want my bed, I can have it transferred to your house and I can get myself a new one."

"Wow, Lucy is being extremely generous. While you are at it, why don't you throw in a ton of fish." Happy wanted to see how far she'd go.

"Sure Happy. As much as you want." Lucy didn't even seem to think twice about the request and Happy concluded that Lucy must be really walking on clouds at the moment.

But Natsu wasn't impressed. Had Lucy exclaimed that she would pick up all the stars in the sky to make him happy, he would be touched, but he wouldn't be surprised. Lucy was his most precious friend, and he knew that he was precious to her as well. They had been in too many trials and dangers together that placing each other's life on the line for the other was something natural to them at this point. _What is one bed compared to that?_

The shine in Lucy's eyes since she found herself a boyfriend really did make Natsu feel lighthearted. He liked how happy she looked and he was willing to protect that happiness with all his power. Ark was already a member of their guild and he even thought about inviting him into their team. He wasn't sure how much power Ark really had but he could always protect him like he did Lucy. He would make sure to protect everything Lucy cared about.

_So why did his relationship with Lucy have to change? _

"It is not the same." Natsu complained before he smiled mischievously. "Can I sleep on your new bed?"

"No!" Lucy glared at him once more. But Lucy wasn't stupid. She understood completely what Natsu meant. Of course it wasn't the same. She knew it had never been about the bed. Natsu felt comfortable sleeping at her place, because it was her place. In fact, in times when Natsu would leave on a mission without her, she would sometimes sleep at his place too. It just made her miss him less.

She understood all of that, but there was nothing she could do. She just imagined what would Ark think if he found out that she would sometimes wake up with Natsu sleeping beside her. No boyfriend would ever permit such a thing. And what's more... she imagined Ark kissing her romantically and carrying her in his arms and bringing her to her bed... she blushed at the thought. And then she imagined seeing Natsu sleeping there as they got to the bed... No way!

Happy actually understood Lucy. Unlike Natsu, Happy knew a thing or two about being in love. He had been in love with Carla for the longest time and he understood why Lucy would suddenly not want to have intruders in her home in inopportune times. Even if the intruders were her most precious family.

However, Happy had always thought that Natsu and Lucy just needed time, and they would one day find themselves in love with each other. He never thought they could ever fall in love with someone else. This was an unexpected turn of events for him. _It was all Natsu's fault. _The guy was so blind to romance that he probably wouldn't see it even if it landed on his nose.

Happy wanted to know how much Natsu actually understood their situation right now. "Lucy has a point Natsu." He started to explain. "If you got yourself a wife, what do you think she would do if she found Lucy in your bed?"

"Ha?" Both Lucy and Natsu faced Happy in confused surprise. The notion of Natsu having a wife never entered their minds.

"Oh come-on, it's not that impossible." Happy said with a sigh. Then he studied the dumbfounded look on Natsu's face and silently changed his mind. _Well, maybe it is impossible._

Natsu got over his surprise and shrugged. "Lucy is family. No wife would complain if she found Happy in my bed, right?"

"It's not the same!" Lucy and Happy shouted in unison.

"Fine." Happy decided to phrase the question differently. "If Lucy was your girlfriend, how would you feel if you suddenly found another guy on her bed?"

Lucy balked at the idea. But Natsu just answered without hesitation. "Boyfriend or not, no one is allowed into Lucy's bed other than me." He said with all seriousness. Then he smiled, "And of course, you too Happy."

Happy sighed in defeat. "She's going to share that bed with her husband." He muttered more to himself.

Yet Natsu heard it. "But why?"

Both Lucy and Happy stared at him in consternation.

Lucy was really uncomfortable about where the conversation was heading but Natsu's response made her forget all that. "You got to be kidding me." She shook her head and like Happy sighed in defeat.

She would have to find a way to make Ark accept this arrangement. Guess she could go to his place instead.


	3. She has a different shoulder to cry on

And this conflicted Natsu more than anything.

Team Natsu just finished a mission but it hadn't ended the way they envisioned it to be. The person who had hired them for the job had turned out to be the one they were supposed to destroy. He was a cursed being and he wanted someone who could destroy the curse along with him.

Lucy had tried her best to find another solution to save his life and they had almost succeeded. Ark who specialized in possession magic managed to pull the curse out of their client's body and Natsu fought the curse who had taken a form of a beast and managed to destroy it. Or so they thought.

In the end, they found the curse had embedded itself on Natsu. They had underestimated the link between the client and his curse. And it was Lucy who had to strike the deadly blow on their client to save Natsu's life.

The client had been willing to die. It was even him who asked Lucy to strike him down. But still Lucy's heart was torn into pieces at what she had to do. Her knees crumbled and she fell into the floor sobbing her heart out.

Natsu who had just gotten released from the curse stood up despite his broken body and walked towards Lucy with the intent of sharing her suffering. But before he got there, Ark had knelt down and pulled Lucy into his embrace.

Ark held her in his arms while she sobbed on his chest as if clinging to him for support.

For the first time since the five months that Lucy had dated Ark, Natsu felt regret. No, it was more than regret. Something dark rose up from his chest and his first impulse was to wipe Ark out of existence.

_What the hell was that about. _Natsu himself was surprised at his own thoughts.

_But Lucy..._

No. What in the world made him think that he was the only person Lucy could rely on. Lucy had a lot of friends in the guild who cared about her. If ever she was sad, of course they would provide her comfort.

A lot of people cared about Lucy.

_Not as much as I do. _

It seemed that only Erza saw the turmoil inside Natsu. And she came to stand beside him, placing a hand on his shoulder. "He is her boyfriend after all." She said softly. "It is his job to comfort her."

There was pain and confusion in Natsu's eyes as he faced Erza. "Is a boyfriend more important than family?"

Erza sighed. She didn't really know the answer to that question herself. She loved Jellal and he was a very important existence to her. But can she really say he was more important than the guild and the people she considered family?

Would she leave the guild if he ever asked? She too was conflicted about that. "I don't know..." She answered truthfully. "It depends on the person perhaps."

"But Lucy is in pain and I..." It wasn't that he didn't want her to have another person capable of giving her comfort. No, that would just be wrong. Don't friends always want what's best for each other?

But he just felt so helpless. If he couldn't even hold her to provide her comfort, then what was he supposed to do in her times of sorrow?

In the most painful times of his life, it had always been Lucy who was there for him. Holding him... protecting him... waiting for him...

It just dawned to him that Ark would be doing those things for Lucy now. And he had every right to do so.

Because Ark was her boyfriend.

And he was not.


	4. His name should not be what comes out fr

Title: His name should not be what comes out from her lips

But it was the name she called out anyway.

"Naaatsu!" She screamed as she fell towards a flaming pit of lava, she could not help calling out his name. Ark had been trying to hold her hand to keep her from falling. He would have fallen with her too had Gajeel not held him back. But as it was, Lucy lost her grip as the villain who had taken hold of her foot pulled her down with him.

But before she could fall into the flames, she was enveloped by strong arms who held her tightly in his embrace. Unlike Ark, no one was able to hold Natsu back as he jumped after Lucy.

Lucy clung to Natsu's shoulders as he landed on lava as if it was just normal ground and then jumped high up to land on the safer side of the pit where no lava was flowing. Then he started running to get Lucy away from the heat.

Lucy stared up at Natsu as he ran. Natsu would always save her, no matter what danger she was in, he would always show up to save her. There was a warm fuzzy feeling in her heart whenever she thought about it.

When finally there were in the clear Natsu glanced down at the girl in his arms and grinned at her. "I told you I would fish you out even in the pitts of hell."

Lucy giggled. It was a wonder that Natsu can smile and joke in this kind of situation. Had it been Ark, he would have been so angry that she had placed herself in danger and he would be yelling at her right now.

She understood why he would do that of course. She acted the same way every time Natsu rushes into harms way. Unlike Natsu who seemed to be able to fix any kind of situation, she and Ark were alike in the sense that they felt less capable of protecting the people they loved. And thus, they tend to worry more about them.

"You're more like the demon." She teased Natsu as his face was filled with soot from his last fight. Then she laid back her head on his shoulder and fell asleep from exhaustion.

In just a few minutes, the rest of the team came running towards them with worry. The team this time was composed of Natsu, Lucy, Gajeel, Levy and Ark. Being carried by Levy was a fainted Happy. In fact, every single one of them looked like they were in bad shape. They were completely exhausted and mostly out of magic. The last fight had taken its toll on them.

"Lucy!" Ark exclaimed as they got within earshot. He went to stand in front of Natsu looking Lucy over. And seeing as she was unconscious, fear rose up from his heart. "What is wrong with her?" He asked in a trembling voice.

Levy stood beside Ark to look over at Lucy as well. She leaned in to hear her breathing. "She seems to be merely asleep. I think she will be fine." She concluded.

"Yes, she is fine." Natsu agreed. His good sense of hearing enabled him to hear the steady pounding of Lucy's heart so he knew she was not in any danger.

Ark closed his eyes in relief. Then he held out his arms to Natsu. "I'll take her."

But instead of handing her over, Natsu's arms tightened over Lucy. "It's fine. I can carry her." He said in a matter-of-fact tone.

Ark stood his ground. "You don't have to." His arms was still stretched out, and he moved them towards Natsu to reinstate his intentions.

Natsu became annoyed. "I am perfectly capable of carrying Lucy." Then he started moving forward. "We should start heading back so she can get a proper sleep."

"Ah Nat..." Gajeel started to protest Natsu's actions but then he met Levy's eyes and stopped himself as Levy shook her head.

"Give Lucy back to me!" Ark's roaring command made both Gajeel and Levy look at him in surprise. Ark had always been a really nice guy. He was always respectful to Natsu and did his best to be friendly with him.

He was also very romantic, bringing Lucy flowers and setting up candle lit dates. It was no wonder Lucy was so enamored with him. And still, he was so understanding about Lucy and Natsu's relationship and never complained about Natsu breaking in to Lucy's apartment.

Levy and Gajeel's eyes met again, both showing their unease at the situation. It seemed the friendly understanding between the two had finally ended.

Natsu stopped on his tracks. "Why? You can't even protect her. You allowed her to be placed in danger and you couldn't even keep her safe." He turned back to face Ark and his eyes glittered dangerously. "So why should I listen to you?"

Any wizard lesser than the likes of Gajeel, Erza, or Laxus would have probably cowered in fear at that look. But Ark was too angry to be afraid. "Right, because you are so great and mighty." Ark was exhausted as well and he was at the end of his rope. "Well, not everyone is some godly dragon with a seemingly inexhaustible supply of energy."

"Do not get me wrong." He continued. "I am grateful you saved Lucy. For that I owe you even my life! But that doesn't mean that you can just..."

Natsu stopped listening the moment Ark mentioned owing Natsu his life. He didn't understand why, but it grated at his nerves so much he wanted to explode. "Owe me your life?" He hissed as he interrupted Ark's tirade. "And why would you owe me your life? I saved Lucy, she owes me her life. Not you."

In the back of Natsu's mind he knew he was being unreasonable. Of course Lucy would never owe him her life. He would save Lucy even if he had to go down to the depths of hell and still Lucy would never owe him a thing. But he was so angry at what Ark said and what it implied that words he never meant burst out from his lips.

Ark was incensed. He laughed sarcastically at Natsu's words. "If any life here is owed, it is yours to hers!" Ark was just getting started. "How many times have she risked life and limb to save you from your own madness?" He was getting angrier at the second. "You think that as the person who loves Lucy I found your behavior exemplary? You think I enjoyed seeing her run all over the place making sure you are unharmed and trying to keep you from going berserk? But I endured all of it because I love her and she cares about her friend." He placed great emphasis on the word friend.

Then he stepped closer to Natsu and glared right back at him. "But let us make something clear here Natsu. Lucy is mine."

_Lucy is mine._

The words whirled round and round in Natsu's mind and filled him with blind rage. How dare another person claim Lucy as his. So, he was Lucy's boyfriend, so what? What were boyfriends for anyway? Candidates for marriage? And what was marriage for? One never needed one to form a family, that Natsu knew for sure. The guild showed him that. To make kids? Was something of that purpose comparable to the bond he shared with Lucy? No it wasn't. What he had with Lucy was more than some... some... what exactly did she have with Ark?

His anger burned more as he thought about it. How long had Ark actually known Lucy? Six months? Did he actually think he had a stronger bond with Lucy? How dare he claimed Lucy as his.

"Say that again?" Natsu's words was filled with so much menace that even the angry Ark thought twice of provoking him further.

Gajeel and Levy decided it was time to intervene. Natsu didn't look like he was in control anymore, he seemed to be falling deeper into anger. Not that anyone can actually stop him if he decided to go berserk at this point. Gajeel was out of magic and so was Levy.

So they decided to go with reason. "Nats..."

"Natsu?" Lucy chose that time to wake up and Levy was filled with relief. If anyone can stop Natsu it was Lucy. It always was Lucy.

"What's wrong?" Lucy could feel that Natsu's emotions were in turmoil and she started to get worried. _Did enemies they didn't know about show up?_

The moment Natsu heard Lucy's voice he started calming down. "Nothing's wrong Lucy. We just need to get you a proper place to rest." He was back to his own self again.

As relief washed over her, Lucy saw Ark and she suddenly felt awkward being held in Natsu's arms. "Natsu, you can place me down now."

"No." Natsu declined stubbornly. But it wasn't in the same tone he used with Ark. Instead it sounded teasing and playful.

"I said put me down." Lucy commanded more aggressively as she wiggled out of his arms.

Natsu released her so abruptly that she almost fell face flat on the ground. But she managed to fall on her feet and she glared at Natsu who tried to look at her innocently.

She rolled her eyes as she went to Ark's side. "Are you okay?" Ark asked in concern as he smoothed over Lucy's hair.

Lucy blushed at the gesture. "I'm fine. I'm healthy as a cow." Then she blushed some more at her words.

Ark laughed deeply, caught at her charms and completely forgetting about his argument with Natsu. But as the couple walked by Natsu, Ark couldn't help but give him a smug look. He didn't mean to gloat but Natsu's behavior had really annoyed him.

But instead of being angry or jealous as Ark expected, Natsu just shrugged.

Then he smiled at Ark.

"It was still my name she called."


	5. She didnt spend as much time with him an

Title: She didn't spend as much time with him anymore

And this caused Natsu to be in a really bad mood.

When Lucy had started dating, except for going out to dine with Ark alone from time to time, she still spent a lot of her time with Natsu. Sure, Ark would usually tag along but Natsu didn't mind that. He treated Ark like he did Gray, Wendy and Erza. And Ark in return never complained about Lucy spending time with him.

But since they went on that mission where for the first time he and Ark had an argument, Lucy started spending less time with him.

It didn't help that there were currently no missions for them. Most missions available were small fries that were mostly dealt with by the less powerful mages of the guild.

Natsu was bored out of his mind. And in times like this, he would usually go and spend time with Lucy. Nothing seemed boring when he was with Lucy. But these days, he didn't even know where she was.

"Is she avoiding us?" He asked Happy as once more then entered Lucy's empty apartment.

"She probably went out with Ark." Happy said unhappily. He missed Lucy too. But what's more was that he really felt bad for Natsu. And he was kind of worried about him.

"And what does she do with him that she can't do with all of us together?" Natsu was beginning to get frustrated.

Happy had no idea either. Although he had some idea about being in love, his experience was limited to offering Carla some fish and talking with her. He had some notions about love and romance, but except for his own wishful thinking, he had no real experience with it. So he was just as lost as Natsu was.

Suddenly the door to Lucy's apartment opened and Lucy walked in with Ark. Natsu immediately noticed the radiant smile on her face as she laughed at what Ark was saying, and the fact that they were holding hands. This observation annoyed him.

It wasn't the first time he saw them held hands of course. In fact, when they used to spend a lot of time together, he was a witness to it constantly. But he had accepted it as what dating couples do, and as he would not mind Lucy holding Erza's hand or even Gray's, he also hadn't minded it with Ark.

But it seemed something had changed within him since his argument with Ark. _Lucy is mine._ Ark had said that. And suddenly the hand holding Lucy's held a totally different meaning for Natsu.

"Natsu!" Lucy's surprise was apparent as she finally noticed Natsu sitting on her sofa with Happy. "You didn't break my window again, did you?" She tried to act annoyed but she was actually happy to see Natsu.

In fact Lucy missed Natsu. But for some reason, since they got back from their last mission, being with Natsu and Ark together had seemed really awkward. The interactions between Ark and Natsu seemed forced and uncomfortable. And she felt like she was caught in the middle of a silent war.

Thus she tried not to get them together unless it was with a lot of other people. Unfortunately, there had been no missions and as Lucy was dating Ark, it had been easier to find reasons to be with him than it was to be with Natsu alone.

So she was glad to see Natsu again. But instead of greeting her, Natsu was giving Ark a disapproving frown and Ark in return seemed to be taunting him back with his eyes. And Lucy just had enough.

"Stop it you guys." She said in exasperation. She was tired of acting like she didn't notice their antagonism. "What is wrong with you two?" She gave both of them an angry stare.

"Please, let's get this out and over with so we can all go back to being friends." Then she faced Natsu. She removed her hand from Ark's and walked over to where Natsu sat. "Let's start with you first, huh Natsu."

Natsu looked up from where Lucy stood, his eyes widening innocently. "I don't know what you are talking about Lucy."

Lucy bent down and moved her face closer to Natsu's, as if observing him at a much closer range would enable her to extract information from him. Natsu had looked casually right back into her eyes, but the moment her face was a mere inches away his heartbeat unexpectedly went into overdrive and he suddenly found himself having a hard time breathing.

He quickly withdrew by leaning back on the couch and looking away to the side to where Happy sat, completely avoiding her gaze.

Lucy sighed and turned to look back at Ark, missing the blush that colored Natsu's cheeks. It was only Happy who saw the confused look on Natsu's face.

"How about you." She asked Ark. "You have been avoiding anything about Natsu since we came back. Can someone please tell me what is happening here?"

Ark sighed before giving Lucy a sad smile. "Unfortunately, I think Natsu is the only one who can tell you that."

Lucy's eyes narrowed at him. "Don't tell me you are not as much of a participant in all of this."

Ark's smile turned wry. "Of course I am. But I don't think it's fair for me to give you any information if you don't already know it." Then he moved to look at Natsu who had now his arm crossed stubbornly on his chest. "And I am definitely not helping this idiot either. I have not lost this battle yet. And if he wishes to stay an idiot then so much better for me."

The two men started glaring at each other openly and Lucy threw her hands up in the air in frustration. "Fine. But you guys better deal with this situation else I am not seeing either of you. You can both stay at my apartment. I am staying at Levy's." Then she gave both of them a warning look. "Make sure nothing is broken or I will have both of you quartered and stripped. You can contact me when you have decided to become friends again."

And with that Lucy walked out the door slamming it close after her.


	6. His actions were something she can no lo

Title: His actions were something she can no longer comprehend

And Lucy could not stop complaining about it to Levy. "I mean he had always been such an impulsive idiot but how can he just suddenly change like this?"

She walked back and forth nonstop inside Levy's room and Levy was beginning to get concerned for her new carpet. She had bought it in preparation for the baby but she might have to buy another one at the rate Lucy was treading on it.

"He had treated Ark like he was his new best friend and now suddenly he is acting like they are sworn enemies. Does that even make sense to you?" She turned abruptly to face Levy who was busy contemplating her new carpet. "Are you even listening to me?"

Levy's attention swept back to Lucy and it took her everything to suppress a huge sigh. The largest question she wanted to ask Lucy was something she feared to express. _Why in the world have you spent hours talking about Natsu, isn't Ark your boyfriend?_

Not that Lucy would come to a realization had she asked it. She wasn't so sure Lucy was ready to understand her own feelings, so she might find a lot of reasons to deny it. But Levy wasn't so sure she wanted Lucy to find those feelings anyway.

Ark was a really good boyfriend. In fact, he was the perfect boyfriend for Lucy. He was considerate but at the same time adventurous, and had a really good taste in romance. He was sure to make Lucy happy.

Natsu on the other hand... even Levy wasn't sure what Natsu really felt about Lucy. And even if he was capable of having any sort of romantic feelings for Lucy, she wasn't sure his type of romance was what Lucy wanted.

Levy wasn't so cynical that she would think Natsu would not fall in love. After all, if even Gajeel can fall in love, so can Natsu.

But it wasn't as if Gajeel had suddenly turned into a romantic. No, he didn't always remember special holidays and he never went out of his way to prepare sweet candle lit dinners in rooftops. Fortunately, Levy was not that much of a romantic either. She loved Gajeel for what he was and she didn't really care much about roses and chocolates.

Lucy on the other hand was a complete romantic. Lucy and Levy had been close friends for a long time that she knew exactly the type of romance Lucy craved. Even in those times that Lucy actually considered Natsu as 'date material', Lucy would completely change her perception of Natsu, turning him into something completely out of his nature.

So although Levy wanted nothing more than to see Lucy and Natsu fall in love with each other, she also worried about what would become of their friendship if the relationship fell apart.

Yet she also didn't want Lucy to hurt both boys by being completely oblivious to what was happening. So she decided to tread lightly on the issue. "Could it be that Natsu is actually jealous of you spending so much time with Ark?"

"No," Lucy didn't even give it a second thought. "He had been acting this way since we came back from our last mission which is why I had to avoid seeing them together. So it can't be that."

"Maybe because you've been clinging to Ark a lot lately and maybe he didn't like seeing that." Levy tried to choose her words as carefully as possible.

Lucy finally stopped walking and faced Levy with narrowed eyes. "What are you saying?"

"Well..." Levy had to decide fast how much she could say. "Natsu is a guy too you know, and he is used to being the center of your attention... so maybe he didn't like Ark taking that away."

Lucy chuckled at that explanation. "You are being weird Levy."

Levy wasn't at all surprised at Lucy's reaction.

"And it's not as if I ignored him." Lucy continued. "I still give him more attention than any friends give one another. Especially when they have boyfriends. In fact, I commend Ark for being so understanding about it."

Levy could only shrug. What Lucy said was true.

"There is nothing to be competitive about, except if he actually likes me in any sort of romantic way." That actually surprised Levy and it made her observe Lucy more closely. _Did Lucy actually have any inkling as to Natsu's feelings?_

"But that would be insane, because Natsu is not interested in any of those kinds of romantic stuff." Lucy went on.

_Well typical Lucy. _Was the thought that came out of Levy's mind. But now she was more curious as to what Lucy actually felt.

"But what if he is.." She asked carefully. "You know... interested in romantic stuff"

Lucy's laughter can only be described as hysterical. She laughed so hard Levy thought she would bring her house down. "Then that would mean that I must be the most unattractive person on this planet." Lucy finally managed to speak. "Because no matter how close we have become he has never even been remotely interested in me."

"Do you want him to?"

There was complete silence the moment Levy let out that question.

Then Lucy decided she had enough of the conversation.

"No." She concluded. "I have Ark."


	7. She was making him confused as hell

This made Natsu so angry at her. And yet he so much wanted to see her, talk to her... heck just to be where she was was enough. But just that thought also made him so mad too.

He punched the tree which was right in front of where he stood. The trunk scattered into pieces and what was left fell to the ground. He didn't even know where he had gone off to. But it seemed like he was in a forest in the outskirts of the city.

The moment Lucy left, he had left as well. He didn't want to talk to Ark. And Ark didn't stop him. He was just as less inclined to talk as Natsu was.

_Did Lucy actually care more about that guy than she cared about him?_

Wait. Where did that thought come from? When did he start comparing his own worth to someone else? Ark made Lucy happy. Shouldn't he be happy for her? So why was he so angry?

"Natsu..." Happy was really getting worried about his friend. For days now, Natsu had not been acting like himself. In fact since Lucy had cried into Ark's arms, Natsu had already started acting differently. But it wasn't until their last mission that he changed so much.

The boy who was warm and cheerful was suddenly so irritable and moody. His change was beyond Happy's understanding. He only knew it had something to do with Ark and Lucy.

"Let's go see Lucy..." Happy suggested cautiously. "We know where she's at."

Instead of heeding the exceed's advice Natsu sat on the ground and crossed his arm stubbornly on his chest. "She doesn't want to see us, so why should we force ourselves on her?"

"I don't think that is true Natsu." Happy felt like crying. What Natsu said actually hurt Happy. Although Natsu was his closest family, he could not imagine Lucy not being a part of that family. That Lucy and Natsu were not on good terms really pained him. "Lucy was just angry. You know how she is when she gets angry."

Had it been another time, Natsu would have noticed just how hurt Happy was about the situation and would console him with encouraging words. But Natsu was just too angry. "She cares more about her boyfriend now than she does about us. Forget Lucy."

Happy's body started to tremble as he tried to hold back his tears. "But you said we would be together forever. Are we not supposed to be family?"

Natsu finally woke up from his own wallowing. "Hey come here." He gestured to Happy and the exceed slowly flew closer to Natsu. Natsu playfully thumped his head with his fist the moment he was in reach. Then he grinned at Happy.

It still wasn't his usual happy-go-lucky smile, but Happy was glad Natsu was no longer angry. "You are right." Natsu told Happy in the most cheerful voice he could summon. "Let's apologize to Lucy. And if we have to accept that boyfriend of hers, I guess we can do that to. I mean..."

Natsu's smile stared to disappear. "I mean..." Now that he was no longer angry, something started to throb in his chest that felt a lot like pain. "We have done it before, haven't we?" But the cheer had gone out of his voice.

"Let's just talk to Lucy." The exceed wanted to hurry up and patch things. "Let's just tell Lucy the truth. Lucy being with that Ark person is painful for Natsu. Lucy will never want Natsu to be hurt. Lucy will understand."

Natsu blinked at Happy's words. Was Happy right? Did he really not want Lucy to be with Ark? He thought about Lucy snuggling into Ark's embrace, holding his hands, and smiling into his eyes. The pain in his chest tightened, as if a stone had embedded itself forcefully into his heart and was slow expanding.

It had not been Lucy's fault at all, Natsu realized. Something was definitely wrong with him. Something dark and evil must be growing inside of him to the point were he wanted to snatch away Lucy's happiness. He cannot let such evil win.

He stood up and nodded at Happy. "Let's go see Lucy."


	8. He'd never given anything as much though

Title: He'd never given anything as much thought before

The only times Natsu was really completely serious was in the midst of battle, when he was protecting his friends, his guild, his family. And even then he fought with instinct more than thought. Most of the time he never dwelled on a single thought for more than a few minutes.

Shrugging off problems and positively seeing the future was one of his best traits. He could laugh at the most trickiest of situations and joke in the midst of danger. He was rash and fearless, which was not the best of combinations for self-preservation.

One can say he was just an idiot. But it was the privilege of the strong. And Natsu was strong. It might be hard to believe because of his childish demeanor, but Natsu was one of the most powerful beings in existence in fact.

However, right now, his strength meant nothing. And he could not just laugh off the situation he was in. All the positive thinking in the world could not fix his problem. He wanted something he did not understand and for that he needed to think. But thinking wasn't his forte.

He arrived at Levy's home and hesitated to knock for a moment. But then typical of the Natsu behavior he banged on it loudly. Levy came to open the door.

"Oh." Levy should have expected this, but it still came as a surprise. "If you are looking for Lucy, she is not here."

Natsu frowned. "Did she go to him again?"

Levy felt uneasy. "Natsu, you should come in, it's better if we talk."

"No thanks." Natsu smiled in his typical Natsu fashion but the smile was short-lived. "I'm going to find Lucy."

"She's not with him." Levy hurriedly informed as Natsu turned to go. "Gajeel just came by and he said Ark is in the guild house getting drunk. Lucy went out a few hours ago to buy some books. She might have gone back to her apartment by now."

"Thanks Levy." Natsu's smile was a lot more genuine this time. "I'll go talk to her."

"Wait!" Levy grabbed one of his arms to stop him.

As Natsu turned back once more, she quickly released her hold. "Natsu, I don't really want to interfere with you guys, but Lucy is my friend, and I don't want to see her get hurt. What exactly is it that you want?"

Natsu shrugged. "I just want things to be the way it was before."

"Before Ark?"

Natsu raised his arms showing his confusion. "I don't know. I just know I need to talk to Lucy."

"Do you really want to break them apart?" Levy asked softly.

"I don't..." Natsu really didn't have a clear answer to that.

"Natsu, it's fine if you do not want them to be together." Despite liking Ark, Levy's loyalty lay more with Natsu. "But if it is not Ark it will be someone else. Lucy is not the type to remain single forever."

Levy looked at him with concern. "Look, I really wish you and Lucy can go back to where things were before. I want to see the both of you happy. But is that really what you want Natsu? Don't you want something more?"

Levy can tell that Natsu was really trying to understand. He scratched his head, deep in thought. "But why would I want anything more than having Lucy back?"

Levy couldn't help but let out a chuckle. One thing was consistent for sure. Serious or not, Natsu was still obtuse as heck. "Fine, just think about it more okay." But as Natsu turned to go Levy pulled at the silently following Happy's wing. "You on the other hand are staying with me."

"But why?" Happy asked with a pout. "I want to see Lucy too."

"And you will see her after those two talk it out." Levy turned to Natsu. "You need to talk to Lucy alone, you can come back for Happy later."

Natsu frowned at the thought of leaving Happy but then he nodded. He smiled at Happy reassuringly. "I will be back with Lucy."

Happy finally smiled. "Okay." Then he looked at Levy. "Do you happen to have any fish, I am quite hungry."

Levy laughed. "I'm sure I can make you something."

Levy and Happy went inside the house as Natsu walked towards Lucy's apartment.

But when he got there it was empty.

His first thought was that she's gone to the guild house with Ark, and then he wanted to kick himself. Something was definitely wrong with him, why was he having so many negative thoughts? Lucy had said she would not talk to either of them, and Lucy would not show preference like that.

He laid on her bed and breathed in her scent. Then uncharacteristically of him, he took her pillow from his head and held it in his arms instead. He was just going to wait patiently for her like he always did.

Because Lucy always comes back.

It wasn't long before he fell fast asleep.


	9. She wasnt so sure about anything anymore

"Do you want him to?"

Levy's question kept popping up on Lucy's mind no matter how much she wanted to forget it.

Did she actually want a boyfriend who made fun of her romantic dreams, who couldn't even dance, or think of asking her out on a date? And instead, asks her to eat out just so he can get free food? Was Levy insane? Why would she want that?

So why couldn't she stop thinking about it?

But Natsu had also been there for her whenever she needed him. He would also get completely emotional when it came to her welfare and he was extremely protective of her.

Well, he was also really protective about everyone in the guild, including being extremely emotional when Erza was in danger.

But he did like to be with her all the time. Unlike Gray and Erza who Natsu also treated as rivals, Natsu didn't even want to fight with Lucy. And yet he always wanted to tag along in her missions and brought her along with his.

But didn't that just mean he felt more responsible for her cause she was weaker than the others in the team?

"Am I not just like Happy then?"

Lucy actually said that out loud. She was walking in the streets back towards her apartment. She looked around feeling embarrassed that someone might have seen her talking to herself.

But there was no one. It was really late at night and the streets were almost empty.

"Why am I even thinking about this?" She berated herself. It wasn't as if she wanted Natsu to be interested in her. She had Ark. She liked Ark.

But she really missed Natsu. Was it too selfish of her to want Natsu as a friend and Ark as a boyfriend?

Since Levy and Gajeel had become an item, Lucy had found her less and less with Jet and Droy. They still did missions together from time to time, but they weren't as close as they were before. Was that really the fate of friendship?

Was she willing to let go of Natsu to be with Ark?

The thought brought so much pain she quickly erased it from her mind. Natsu was... Natsu had been the one to bring her to Fairy Tail. When she thought of when her life really started, she thought of Natsu. Natsu was her beginning.

Then was she giving up on love instead?

Lucy shook her head vehemently to shake away her thoughts. She had bought some books. She was going to read until she got too tired to think about anything.

She finally arrived at the apartment and of course in her bed was a sleeping Natsu.

Well, she couldn't really blame him. She did say she was staying at Levy's. But she had felt guilty that Levy had to change her plans with Gajeel because of her, so she decided to go home. She had stayed a long time in the bookstore to give both guys a chance to leave.

But something was different on the way Natsu slept. He usually was so relaxed when sleeping, with his arms sometimes spread wide open and taking up as much space as he could.

But the Natsu sleeping in her bed had his arms curled into her pillow as if he was holding on to it for dear life.

It made him look so vulnerable that Lucy's heart ached just watching him.

She sat on the bed to get a closer look. The mattress dipped a little as she sat and the movement made Natsu clutch at the pillow tighter, his brows furrowing as if he was concentrating on something.

Lucy wondered if he was dreaming. And if so, what was he dreaming about?

She raised a finger to smooth the furrows on the space between his brows and he seemed to relax at the touch. Lucy smiled as she continued to watch Natsu sleep. He looked so adorable with his eyes closed and his soft pink hair falling into the pillow he was holding.

She couldn't help but touch the soft locks.

This time her touch woke up Natsu. His eyes opened slowly and he seemed a little bit disoriented. "Lucy?"

Lucy blushed that she got caught touching his hair, but she didn't remove her hand. In fact, the childlike gaze he gave her made her brush her hand over his hair instead.

"You can go back to sleep, I'm going to read." She smiled at him.

But Natsu didn't smile back. "You are not leaving, are you?"

Lucy's chest constricted at his words. "No, of course not. Didn't we promise to be together forever?"

This time Natsu gave her the smile she was used to. The smile that always brightened her day. The contented smile, free of cares and worries.

Nothing was resolved. Lucy still didn't how to deal with their relationship on a day to day basis. Natsu still didn't understand how he felt about Lucy and Ark.

But for now, they both understood one thing. They were never going to let go of this bond between them.

Natsu let go of the pillow and suddenly pulled Lucy into his arms. "You smell good." He said with a smile in his voice. "I like holding Lucy."

Lucy had stiffened in surprise when Natsu pulled her into his embrace. She blushed pure crimson at his words. "Na... na... natsu." She had her eyes shut tightly, trying to calm her thumping heart.

Then she heard Natsu softly snore. She opened her eyes one at a time and saw that Natsu had indeed fallen back to sleep. She shook her head in complete amazement.

Well, of course._ Typical Natsu_.


	10. They were both in despair

Lucy could not keep pace with how fast everything went suddenly downhill.

They had just woken up on the same bed, and now they were in a midst of a terrible argument. How did things turn so bad so fast?

When Lucy woke up, she found Natsu looking down at her with a grin on his face. That shocked her so much that she screamed as she tried to get off the bed. She fell of it in the process.

Natsu laughed hard at that. The fall however, woke Lucy up completely and she remembered what had happened last night, calming down her nerves in the process. It didn't make her feel less embarrassed however. Embarrassed and now annoyed that Natsu could just sit there and laugh at her.

She stood and quickly took a pillow, then slammed it down to Natsu's face. "You moron!"

"Hey, what did I do now?" Natsu was still laughing.

Despite her annoyance, Natsu's laughter was quite contagious, and Lucy found herself chuckling as she threw the pillow at him this time. "Being yourself, that's what you've done."

"But I can't help it." Natsu had taken the pillow she threw at him and was now holding it to his chest. "Lucy looked like a mouse who just saw a cat."

"Yeah?" Lucy placed her hands in her hips and tried to look angry. But she was having a hard time not laughing herself. "Well comparing you to a cat would be a large stretch of the imagination."

"What? But people say Happy and are like real brothers." He placed both of his hands in his cheeks and tried stretching them apart, as if he could mold them to look like Happy.

Lucy had to smile at that. "They meant your personalities not your looks. You both are moronic idiots!"

Natsu was about to respond, but his stomach chose that time complain its lack of dinner, and it was already morning.

"Did you eat last night?" Lucy frowned.

Natsu smiled guiltily. "No, and I'm famished."

Lucy sighed as she shook her head. "I'll go make breakfast."

As she fed Natsu in her kitchen with them sitting on opposite sides of the table, it seemed like everything was back to the way it was.

Natsu ate like it was his last meal. And to Lucy who was a refined lady at heart, someone eating like that would have been a total turn off. But the only thing she felt was warmth as she watched Natsu devour his food. She found herself leaning towards him from her side of the table, with her chin propped on her right hand, as she tried to observe him more.

Natsu glanced up at her with a piece of meat still on his mouth. "Ish Lushy not hungrrr."

Startled, Lucy quickly straightened up. "No, it's almost noon. And I know what I said yesterday, but we had already reserved a table at the _Verserean Pavilion_ last week. And it's not so easy to get a reservation there."

Natsu stopped eating. He swallowed his food in one gulp and then looked at Lucy as if he was contemplating something.

"Lucy really likes having a boyfriend, right?"

Lucy's eyes narrowed at the question. "Yes..?"

"But Lucy having a boyfriend means spending a lot of time with him and less time with your friends." Then Natsu stood, placing both hands on the table. "But I have a solution to that." Natsu says with a triumphant look in his face.

"Okay..." Lucy wasn't sure where this conversation was heading to, but for some reason she found herself feeling guarded about it.

"I will be Lucy's boyfriend!" Natsu declared it as if he had just solved the greatest dilemma on the planet.

At first, Lucy's heart went overdrive as if she just ran a thousand miles. But then anger started rising from deep within her. Still, she tried to reign it in. "You don't have to Natsu."

Natsu however didn't notice the controlled anger inside Lucy. "But why not? I can do it. I don't think it's that hard. And if it makes Lucy happy, then I definitely will do my best."

"I said you don't have too!" Lucy was clearly angry now.

And Natsu didn't understand it. He was trying his best to make things work, so why was she so angry? "But it would be so much easier..."

"Get out!" Lucy's voice thundered.

"Hey wait now Lucy." Natsu was beginning to get angry to. Was he that lacking in her eyes that him taking Ark's place made her this angry. "If you don't want to, just say no. You can stay with Ark if you really want him that much. It was just a suggestion."

"Get the hell out!" This time, Lucy threw the plates that were on the table into the floor, and Natsu knew there was no speaking with her.

"Fine." Natsu stormed out of her apartment. Just as he threw the door open, he saw Ark waiting outside. Natsu glared at him but then went past him without a word.

Lucy fell into the floor crying. She clutched at her aching chest as she sobbed her heart out. How could Natsu be so unfair? She tried so hard. She really did.

From the start, Natsu seemed to have no interest whatsoever in romance. So as to remain his closest friend, she had to not be interested in him as well. She was not like Juvia. She didn't have the confidence to persevere in a one-sided love.

Really, she admired how Juvia could survive it. If it was her, she would have broken apart into pieces already. Just as she was breaking into pieces right now.

To survive, she had erased all thoughts of anything seriously romantic with Natsu. From time to time, she would fantasize, but there were all joke images of him, they weren't really Natsu. They were just clouds that could be easily blown away.

Deep inside, she had caged her real feelings from a long time ago. So how dare he just easily let them out like that? But it was too late. There was no way she could pretend anymore.

She was in love with Natsu.

The moment he had suggested being her boyfriend, her heart knew without a doubt that it was what she wanted. And yet, it was not really what he was offering. He wanted to be her boyfriend because it was more convenient for him that way. How dare he? How dare he?

How dare he? How dare he do this to her. She was sobbing so hard when Ark knelt down and tried to take her in his arms.

But Lucy pushed him away. "No. I don't deserve you."

"It doesn't matter to me who is deserving."

Lucy looked up at him with tears falling down her face. "How much did you hear?"

Ark looked at her guiltily. "From "I will be Lucy's boyfriend"?"

"Then you must understand why I can't be your girlfriend anymore." Lucy sobbed out. Ark was smart. Unlike Natsu, he knew exactly why Lucy was crying. In fact, in his gut, he knew something like this would happen eventually. He had just not wanted to admit it.

Ark sighed. "But we are friends too aren't we?"

When Lucy nodded, he took her into his embrace once more. "Then let me hold you for now at least." This time Lucy didn't push him away.

"I'm sorry." She sobbed into his chest. "I'm so sorry."

"It's alright." Ark held her tightly and petted her hair to soothe her pain. "It's partly my fault. If I didn't get between you two, this would never have happened, and you both would still be in friendship bliss."

"How can you be calm about all of this." Lucy wondered how there can be a person so perfectly understanding. And how could she do this to him.

"I wouldn't have been if not for last night."

Lucy moved her head away from his chest to look up at him. "Last night?"

"Yes." Ark smiled down sadly at Lucy. "Someone gave me some really useful insight."

His smile disappeared and he sighed once more.

"At that point, I already knew I've lost."


	11. He wanted to tear the world apart

He wanted to burn it down to ashes. He wanted to scream until there was no more air left in his lungs. But he did neither of those and instead tried his best to reign in his anger.

He could not give in. He could not loose control. Lucy would no longer be there to stop him.

What was her problem?

Lucy had always been angry at him before and he always paid it no heed. She was never really angry for long and she always forgave his antics. But this time he felt that everything was different.

The anger she saw on Lucy's eyes was no joke. It wasn't the same as when he broke into her apartment or touched her boobs... by accident of course.

It was a lot similar to when he had accidentally burned her book*. However, this time it was more volatile than sad. At that time, Natsu had known he was completely at fault and he felt so guilty about it that he had cried along with her when he found out what his words had meant to her. But this time, he really had no idea what was ticking her off.

He trudged back into the small forest he was in before. The walk calmed him down a little. He came into a stream and decided to stop. Cold water, that was exactly what he needed.

But someone was there before him. A hooded figure sitting on the ground with his back resting on a large rock.

Natsu had a good sense of smell so he knew exactly who it was without seeing his face. "I see you have wandered here again. You must have a lot of free time."

"It's not like you to be sarcastic Natsu." Jellal took off his hood and raised a brow at Natsu.

Natsu ignored the comment. "Are you here to see Erza?"

"No." Jellal answered. "I have a mission in Fiore and I was just passing by."

"So you are here to see Erza then." Natsu sat down on a spot beside the stream.

Jellal seemed to be startled at Natsu's words. Then he accepted defeat and smiled. "I suppose I am. Although I am not sure I would get to see her at all." Then he glanced at Natsu. "Where is all this brilliant deduction coming from?"

Natsu shrugged. "I have been thinking a lot these days. I suppose it's sharpening my brain."

Jellal laughed at that. "Is this about Lucy and that new boyfriend of hers."

This time it was Natsu who was surprised. "You know about it?"

Jellal smirked. "You think I don't do background checks of every new member of your guild? You guys are too lenient, it's like you are asking for trouble."

Natsu shrugged once more. "It's not necessary. But I guess you worry about Erza, so if it makes you fell better to do that, then go ahead."

Jellal shook his head in amazement. "An insightful comment after another. You are not doing a good job of impersonating Natsu at all. That guy is an idiot."

Natsu scowled. "I am not."

"So did you snatch Lucy from Ark yet?" Jellal was really curious.

Natsu started feeling angry again. "She's being unreasonable. I told her I would be glad to be her boyfriend instead of that guy, and she got really mad. It would have worked so much better that way. But if she didn't want to, then she could have just said so."

He expected Jellal to understand so he was unprepared for the disdain in his voice. "Natsu, you need to grow up."

"What did you say?" Natsu stood with both fists clenched. "Are you looking for a fight?"

But Jellal didn't budge from where he was sitting. "Being someone's boyfriend is not something you offer for convenience. It is something you want to be regardless of how impossible it seems. It is something you crave from the bottom of your heart that being unable to be so tears you apart every single time."

Natsu unclenched his fists and watched Jellal with a frown. "Is that how you feel for Erza?"

Once again Natsu surprised Jellal. But he looked Natsu in the eye and told him the truth. "Yes. And if that is not how you feel for Lucy then you should not even ask her, else it would simply be an empty gesture that can bring her pain."

Natsu sat back down into the ground dejectedly. "But I don't even understand what is so great about having a boyfriend. Lucy and I, we look out for each other. We share our happiness and sorrows." The he turned to look at Jellal. " What more is it that you want from Erza?"

Jellal blushed crimson. "I... I..."

Natsu shook his head and looked away. "Even you don't know."

"I do know!" Jellal exclaimed. "That's why I told you to grow up. I don't know how to tell you this... but..." Jellal had just turned into a blubbering mess and his cheeks were still tainted red. "I mean... don't you want to kiss her at least." The words burst out from Jellal as if it took all his willpower to say it.

It was Natsu's turn to blush. But then he became unexpectedly honest that Jellal felt like evaporating to thin air. "Of course I want to kiss Lucy. I want to touch her and hold her and..."

"Okay, okay." Jellal interrupted raising one hand up in supplement. "You don't need to tell me anymore."

"But she will kill me if I do that." Natsu continued. "What does kissing have anything to do with our conversation anyway?"

Jellal felt his heart would crumble in shock as well as the innocence of his words. "I don't think Lucy will kill you." He finally managed to say. "Why don't you ask her?"

"What?!" Natsu looked at him as if he had gone insane. "She blows me away every time I touch her boobs, what do you think she'd do if I tell her I want to kiss her?"

Jellal felt like his eyes would pop out from their sockets. He stood up with the intention of leaving. He was not going to listen to this anymore. "Just do me a favor and ask her. I need to be going now."

Natsu looked at Jellal's retreating back thinking the guy had gone insane. Maybe he was missing Erza too much. That must be it. He could not even think how it would feel to be away from Lucy all the time.

Natsu shook his head at the thought.

.

.

.

.

*refer to Coca-Cola omake


	12. When was friendship no longer enough?

That thought kept on bouncing back and fort in Natsu's head.

_If that is not how you feel for Lucy then you should not even ask her, else it would simply be an empty gesture that can bring her pain._

Jellal's words came back to Natsu's mind and he can no longer deny that once again he had said words that brought Lucy pain. It wasn't that he didn't want to be Lucy's boyfriend, because he really did. But he had to admit that his reasons were probably not the kind that she had wanted to hear about.

He would have to go and apologize to her about that.

_Don't you want to kiss her at least?_

The question came suddenly to Natsu's mind. Wait, why was he thinking about such question?

_What more is it that you want from Erza?_

He had asked Jellal that.

_Don't you want to kiss her at least?_

And Natsu suddenly stood still. The figure of Ark by Lucy's door came to his mind. He had passed by him, simply giving him a glare. At that point, he had not cared about Ark's reasons for being there. In his mind, Lucy had obviously wanted Ark to remain her boyfriend and there was nothing he could do about that.

_But I don't even understand what is so great about having a boyfriend._

_Don't you want to kiss her at least?_

His conversation with Jellal started pouring into his mind and he felt like his heart would stop. In his mind he pictured Ark going inside Lucy's apartment...

_It is something you crave from the bottom of your heart that being unable to be so tears you apart every single time._

To hold her, to touch her, to kiss her?

He was going to burn him into ashes.

Natsu started running back to Lucy's apartment.

But when he got there, it was once again empty.

"Lucy!" He shouted, although he knew she wasn't there, otherwise he would have smelled her. "Lucy!" He shouted again anyway. Although he was unable to smell Lucy, he smelled something else.

_Else it would simply be an empty gesture that can bring her pain_

Tears.

Lucy had been crying. And judging by the scent, she had cried a lot.

Natsu felt like crying as well. How could he be so stupid? Jellal was right. He was an idiot. And he needed to grow up.

But first he had to find Lucy.

He turned to leave. But as he did so, the door opened and Lucy entered. She was obviously surprised to see him in her apartment again. "Natsu?" She asked hesitatingly.

"Lucy, I'm sorry." Natsu didn't waste time to apologize. If anything, Natsu was decisive and he didn't wait for second thoughts. "I was an idiot and I'm so sorry."

The pink haired boy had his head bowed low and his eyes closed. He definitely expected Lucy to be angry at him.

And it was so unfair, because although Lucy wanted to be mad at him, she instead felt really touched by his apology. She just couldn't be mad at Natsu for long.

"It's okay, you don't have to be sorry." Lucy decided to be brave once and for all. "I have also made up my mind."

"Wait Lucy." Natsu finally stopped bowing to look at her. "I really do want to be your boyfriend..."

"Please Natsu, stop it." Lucy interrupted. "I've broken up with Ark. And I am not going to date anyone anymore. I will just be your friend and we can be friends forever."

She expected Natsu to be happy at her words, but the guy was looking at her in aghast.

"But I don't want to be just friends." Natsu started. "I'm sorry at how I stated it before. But I still want to be Lucy's boyfriend."

Lucy didn't understand why Natsu was making things so hard for her. Didn't she just give up her dreams of romance for him? "Why are you doing this?"

"I want..."

"But you don't love me!" Lucy interrupted knowing exactly what Natsu was going to say.

Natsu looked confused. "But I've always loved Lucy. And I will always love Lucy."

Lucy scoffed. "Yes, yes, you love me. Just like you love Happy. You love me, just like you love Erza, and Wendy and Gray, and the entire guild."

"It's not like that..."

"Then what is it like?" Lucy was getting frustrated. "You love me, but you are not in love with me. Although you probably don't know the difference."

"You are right." Natsu said softly. "I probably don't know. I am an idiot after all. But I do know something."

Natsu had a desperate look in his eyes and it struck a chord into Lucy's heart. "I know that I don't want anyone else to hold Lucy when she cries, because I want to be the only one to do so. I don't want anyone else to catch Lucy when she falls, because I want to be that person at all times. I want the name that comes out from Lucy's lips to be always mine. And I want Lucy's lips to be kissed by only me and no one else."

The last line made Lucy too shocked to respond.

Then Natsu clutched at his chest. "And if that is not being in love, then maybe there is just something wrong with me. Because it hurts to much to think that I cannot be that person for you."

"Natsu..." She said his name softly, still in shock. Was she dreaming? Or did Natsu just really confess his love for her? She must be dreaming. She must be.

"Lucy?" He wanted to know what Lucy was thinking. But at the same time, he was scared to hear her response.

Then suddenly Lucy threw herself into his arms and started bawling her eyes out. "Natsu, you dummy." Was all she said as she continued to cry.

Of all the responses he envisioned, he never thought it would be tears. Did he say something wrong again. "Lucy, I'm sorry, I didn't mean to make you cry. I..."

"Sorry." Lucy interrupted with her own apology. "I'm just so happy that I can't stop crying."

Slowly, what Lucy said dawned to Natsu and the ache in his heart started to dissipate. "Does that mean that..."

"Yes!" Lucy interrupted once more. "I will be Natsu's girlfriend." Lucy exclaimed with tears in her eyes.

And Natsu began to cry too. Then he started laughing. Then Lucy started laughing with him. And they were in each other's arms, laughing and crying at the same time.

Then Natsu remembered what Jellal said. "Does this mean I can kiss Lucy now?"

Unfortunately, Lucy's reflexes took over, and she was unable to stop her fist from connecting with Natsu's cheek. "Ah..." Lucy felt apologetic as soon as the action was done.

Natsu who had fallen far backwards rubbed his abused cheek cursing Jellal in his mind. "That really hurt." Dumb Jellal. He was never going to heed his advice ever again.

Lucy had wanted to run over to Natsu and apologize. But then would it not look like she was asking to be kissed by doing so? Lucy blushed at the thought. "It's too early for you to think of kissing." She said instead. "I don't give my kisses out lightly. You will have to work hard for them."

Then she turned to walk away to hide her blush. She walked out of her apartment, not knowing where to go.

Natsu grinned from ear to ear. Didn't that mean that she wasn't oppose to kissing after all. Maybe Jellal wasn't as insane as he thought. Natsu stood up to go after her. "What do I need to do then, he asked Lucy from behind as she continued to walk. "Do you want flowers? I can grow a garden of them at my place. Happy can water them everyday and when they bloom I can give you a dozen every day."

Lucy was really touched by his statement but she still wasn't done being embarrassed so she continued walking to avoid facing Natsu. "You will need to work harder than that."

Natsu stopped for a bit to think. "Hmmm..." Then he continued to go after Lucy. "I know you missed your appointment at the Verserean, I can get a table for us there."

"Good luck. They are booked for months ahead."

"That's not a problem for me." Natsu said with pride. "I'll go pay them a visit. I can be very persuasive."

Lucy finally stopped walking to turn back and face Natsu. "You are not going to threaten them are you?"

"Well..." Natsu scratched his head guiltily. "I was just gonna show them some of my flames."

"Are you kidding me." Lucy started walking again. "I don't want our first date to be in jail, thank you very much."

"I can cook for Lucy."

"Are you trying to burn my kitchen down?" But Lucy had started smiling.

Things like flowers and dates. They can come later. They had a lot of time for that. Right now, what was important was that she had finally accepted that she was in love with Natsu, and Natsu was in love with her back.

Can life get any better?

Oh kisses. Yes kisses, those can come later too.


	13. Epilogue

"It's okay Lucy, your dancing around completely compensates for your lack of beach ball skills." Natsu said laughing as Lucy fell on the sand trying to dive for the ball.

_Smack_.

The ball hit Natsu straight in the face as instead of serving to the other side Lucy threw it right at him.

"Ha!" Lucy laughed triumphantly. "Looks like I have good aim after all."

"The enemy is on the other side of the court though." Happy commented from the sides.

"Well, guess we lost that point." Lucy didn't sound repentant at all.

The guild was out on the beach again, and they were playing beach volleyball in pairs.

Despite what Natsu said about Lucy's skills, they were actually a good team. They even beat Juvia and Gray. In fact, if they win this round, they would be at the finals against Mira and Laxus who had just beaten Loke and Erza.

They were two points behind but it was finally Natsu's time to serve. Natsu's eyes glittered with excitement. "Here I come."

It felt like his arm was powered by rockets as he spiked the ball to the opponent's side. But Ark managed to save the ball with a dive despite its speed. And as the ball went up, Lisanna ran from her position at the back and spiked the ball straight into Natsu's face. Again.

Lucy couldn't hold back her laughter. "Seems the ball really loves your face." She had to hug her abdomen because of how hard she was laughing.

Ark got up and went to give Lisanna a high five. "Just one more point and we got this."

"When did those two start working well together?" Natsu complained as he rubbed his face.

The match ended with them loosing. But neither seemed to mind as Lucy continued to tease Natsu about the red marks on his face and Natsu reciprocated by threatening to pull on her bikini top.

Levy passed by them to offer juice drinks which they both accepted. "You two seem to not have changed at all. Are you even dating?"

Natsu and Lucy's eyes met before they started laughing. "We have decided that it's better not to change much." Lucy finally told Levy when she finally could speak. Then she grinned mischievously as she bent down to sip on the straw of Natsu's drink and gulped it down. "Except that I have now authority on food."

"What?" Natsu was incredulous. "When did we decide that? And that was my juice."

Before Lucy could evade, Natsu bumped his forehead into Lucy's and as she gasped in surprise Natsu quickly bent and fused his lips into hers. It was only a few seconds. Then he grinned at Lucy who still had not moved in surprise. "That tasted better than my juice."

As Lucy recovered from her initial surprise Natsu started running. Lucy quickly ran after him. "Come back you idiot, who said you can do that."

But Natsu continued laughing as he ran with Lucy chasing after him.

Levy's eyes followed them until they were no longer in sight. She still had not completely recovered from the surprising scene she just witnessed.

"Well that was definitely different."

And that it was.

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The End


	14. Author's Notes

Thank you so much for reading up to this point.

Finally it's done. I did my best to write the romance without changing their characters, but it was hard for me. Really, really hard. I keep on having to hold myself back to making Natsu be more romantic. But he is just not. It's so hard to get some romance out of him. Natsu can be so frustrating sometimes! Grrrr... It makes one understand why these two aren't together yet in the manga. They probably wont be until the very end. So please understand that sometimes they might be a bit OOC here and there. Forgive me.

Anyway, there will be side stories of some things happening between the chapters, including the epilogue. So please stay tuned. Side story summaries below.

**Side story 1: Why it's better to be just ourselves**

Natsu and Lucy wasn't used to being in a relationship and their efforts to be more considerate to one another are making them unhappy. Enters Mirajane who scares Natsu into believing that if he didn't provide Lucy with romantic dates better than Ark then he would loose her. What is our dragon to do?

**Side story 2: A really useful insight**

Ever wondered what insight Ark was talking about in chapter 10? When Ark goes to the guild house to drink after Lucy leaves him and Natsu in her apartment, he gets into a discussion with another guild mate. Who is this person who gave him a really useful insight?

**Side story 3: It's like the movies**

Cana gets an illusion box as a reward for her mission and decides to open a movie theater. She hires Lucy to write a romance story that they could turn into a show. As a reward Natsu and Lucy gets the first private viewing. It's the perfect opportunity to share a first kiss.


	15. Side Story 1 - Part One

**Side Story 1 - Part One: Why it's better to be just ourselves**

This story takes place after Chapter 12 but before the Epilogue.

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Lucy soaked herself in the bathtub playing with the bubbles while deep in thought. Why was it that it felt like she was seeing less of Natsu now that they were in a relationship?

Natsu seemed to have changed. He no longer entered her apartment unannounced through the window. He never barged into her bathroom while she was bathing. And he didn't show up with insane requests for her to go somewhere with him as if it was an urgent matter, when really it was nothing.

All of those changes were not bad at all. Logically at least, it shouldn't be. But now that he wasn't doing them anymore, Lucy realized that all those moments had brought them closer together.

In a way, deep down she understood, that it was Natsu's way of saying that he wanted to spend his time with her.

It wasn't as if he stopped spending time with her though. He acted like a real boyfriend. He knocked properly on her door, and took her to places where they can have fun, sometimes just by themselves and sometimes with other friends... but it felt like something was missing.

In fact, she spent as much time with Natsu as she did with Ark when they were dating. Which Lucy realized was a lot less than the time she spent with Natsu as friends.

Lucy dipped her head under the water for a few seconds before coming up with a sigh. She can't believe that Natsu was suddenly behaving properly and she was unsatisfied.

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Natsu sat on a bar stool at the guild house beside Cana who was drinking wine like always. "I'm bored." he complained as he stretched his arm over the counter and laid his head down on it.

Mirajane placed a mug of beer in front of him. "Why don't you go see Lucy? For some reason, I keep seeing you alone in the guild house a lot more these days."

"She's probably enjoying her bath right now." Natsu whined as he took the mug and drank from it. "Then she's going to do some reading."

Lisanna who was standing beside Mira, while cleaning some mugs, turned towards Natsu with a surprised look. "That never stopped you before."

Natsu laid his head back into the counter again. "But I'm trying to grow up like Jellal suggested. And I asked Lucy why she liked Ark and she said because he was sweet, and considerate, and respectful." Then he looked up at them. "I can be sweet and considerate." He said almost defensively. "But I guess I haven't been really respectful... so I'm trying to give her some space." Then he started whining again. "But I want to see Lucy..."

"I don't think..." Lisanna started.

"And you haven't been exactly sweet and considerate either." Mirajane interrupted her sister. Lisanna looked at Mira and saw the mischievous glint in her eyes. She shook her head to herself and continued to clean the mugs.

"You know, Ark would prepare romantic candle light dinners in various locations. He would bring her flowers and prepare good wine. He would wear a suit and buy Lucy a dress and dance with her under the stars." Mira seemed to be lost in her own romantic story.

Natsu frowned at her. "And how do you know that?"

"Because Lucy told me." Mira smiled smugly. "She would gush on how romantic Ark was and how he made her heart flutter."

Lisanna started to feel uncomfortable. "Hey sis, I don't think you should..." she whispered to Mira.

"Hush." Mira ignored her as she continued smiling at the still frowning Natsu. "If you don't step up, you're going to loose Lucy to someone more romantically inclined. Good thing Ark backed off so easily. Not a lot of guys would be as considerate."

Natsu was a bit doubtful. After all Lucy did choose him despite having the option of being with Ark.

"You are right there sister!" Cana decided to speak up as she placed down the wine barrel she had been drinking from. Natsu didn't even know she had been listening. "Had it not been because of someone's intervention, Ark might not have backed down and had gone to woo Lucy instead while you were busy contemplating your feelings. I don't think you'd have had a chance then." Cana said pointedly.

"Yep." Mira nodded in complete agreement. "It wouldn't be hard for someone else to take Lucy from you if they were more aggressive about it."

Lisanna looked at Natu's worried face and felt really sorry for him. But she didn't dare refute her sister. There was no stopping Mira once she was on a roll.

"What should I do?" Natsu had completely fallen for the ruse.

Mira's eyes shone with excitement. "Oh I can definitely help you with that."


End file.
